What Otters' Penis Shrinkage Could Mean for Humans

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Scientists are concerned about the deformed sex organs of
England's otters — and what it might mean for humans.

The furry mammals are found in rivers throughout Britain, but
male otters aren't what they used to be. An alarming number of
them now have shrunken penis bones (baculum), as well as
undescended testicles (cryptorchidism) and cysts on
sperm-carrying tubes, according to a new report written by
Cardiff University scientists.

The results are based on analyses of samples from 755 otter
carcasses collected around England and Wales between 1992 and
2009.

"We were surprised to see the reduction in the baculum weight,"
Elizabeth Chadwick, project manager at the Cardiff University
Otter Project, told the BBC. "[It's]
certainly something that needs further investigation."

Though scientists aren't yet able to identify a single cause for
the deformed sex organs, one leading suspect is a class of
chemical pollutants known as endocrine disruptors.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) alter the hormone
balance of humans and animals. An unborn fetus is particularly
vulnerable to the effects of endocrine disruptors, since the
development of sex organs in the womb is largely controlled by
hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.

The plastic additive
Bisphenol A, or BPA is one hormone disruptor that's
consistently been cited as a concern for women of childbearing
age and their babies. Other endocrine-disrupting compounds are
found in pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other common household
products.

As the top predator in England's rivers and lakes, the BBC
reports, otters are an indicator species whose health reveals
much about the well-being of the entire aquatic ecosystem. Health
problems discovered in otters, Chadwick said, "could be a warning
for all mammals really, which include us humans."

"These findings highlight that it is time to end the complacency
about the effects of pollutants on male reproductive health,"
Gwynne Lyons, director of Chemicals, Health and Environment
Monitoring Trust (CHEM), which co-authored the report with
Cardiff University, said in a statement, "particularly as some of
the effects reported in otters may be caused by the same EDCs
that are suspected to contribute to the declining trends in men's
reproductive health and cause testicular cancer, undescended
testes and low sperm count."